Monday, March 23, 2015

Time Piece

 
 When can we finally tell our stories?

 
And to whom?


 
Or is it better to just remember them?

Here, a stitch resist and indigo memory cloth
the time I've made
which is not a place,
which is only a blur,
the moving edge we live in;
which is fluid
which turns back upon itself
like a wave

Margaret Atwood,
Cat's Eye p 409

this post linked to off the wall friday

19 comments:

Debbie said...

Exquisite cloth, must have been quite hard getting such fine lines.

Mo Crow said...

Wow you have shapeshifted the cloth to water, this is Magic Judy!

Nat Palaskas said...

Lovely pieces. I have been thinking of indigo lately! Hugs Nat

Judy Martin said...

I stitched the fabric in 2010. Five years ago. Then dyed with indigo and removed the threads. So much time inside this cloth.
And so much has happened since.
And so much has happened in my life before I stitched it - that I re-visited then, revisit still.

The cloth itself holds memory.
And one thing about stitch resist - you can see that.

the blog post link is here. You'd have to copy and paste...or go to archives Feb 2010.

http://judys-journal.blogspot.ca/2010/02/charmeuse-morning.html

mansuetude said...

Stunning

Margaret said...

"Time it was and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you"
- Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel - "Old Friends/Book-ends"... Thank you.

jeanne hewell-chambers said...

I do a lot of stitching at night, while watching tv with The Engineer, and I often wonder how what I"m watching affects the cloth. What gets stitched into it as I watch? What does the cloth remember, and what will it carry into the future?

Your beautiful cloths that have been laying in wait make me think on these things with even more fervor.

Unknown said...

MAGNIFIQUE ...
I love your work with indigo, in partiular ... and follow your blog with great interest.

Congratulations ... creativity, know how, limitless time "ou presque" ...

... said...

Hi! Anna from Spain :)

This is awesome. I love it. I'm so happy I discovered your blog Judy :)

Sorry if this is a silly question but, is the fabric wrinkled or it is just an optical effect? I'm wondering how do you make the wrinkles to stay after removing the threads.

I'm starting with indigo shibori and I love wrinkles...

Judy Martin said...

Anna, the wrinkles are there. They are beautiful and I love them too.
The fabric is silk charmeuse and those wrinkles just happened because of the tight gathering of the threads and the time the cloth was left to dry after being dyed before removing all the thread.

If this piece gets wet, it will lose those wrinkles.

One can encourage wrinkling and perhaps make the wrinkles more permanent by steaming the fabric with the threads still in - but still I wouldn't guarantee that the wrinkles would stay even then, if the fabric is washed or gets wet.

thanks for your question. Kaaren Britto has written a book about shibori and silk and includes instructions for keeping the pleats that involves an acetic acid bath plus steam.

The book is entitled Shibori, creating color and texture on silk. Not much information specific to indigo however.
xx

Liz A said...

Time and wrinkles ... both fleeting and all the more beautiful for their impermanence

jess said...

I love how these feel to look at.

... said...

Thanks for your kind answer Judy!
I'll take a look to Kaaren Britto's book.
Long life to wrinkles :)
Anna xx

jacqueline said...

Simply beautiful. Inspiring. I'm facilitating 8 women exhibiting their textile work in Northumberland UK starting next week for 3 months and will speak about why I've done this....your words about memory cloth stirs so much about why woen sew.....thank you

Amy Meissner said...

Judy,
The piece is lovely and your question “When can we finally tell our stories?” is a compelling one that I consider daily. I feel some stories can’t be told right away. Narrative needs distance so truth can emerge, so pain or anger or even humor isn’t the most blatant emotion, but one that is revealed once the surface layers are peeled away through the writing or the telling or the making. I think this is why time is such a vital component to one’s work, any work. I love that you honor it so much. It inspires me to put in the hours.
XO Amy

Lesley Turner said...

Beautiful. Love the photography.

Caterina Giglio said...

I think you captured so much in this piece... and love that you revisited it... the wrinkles are such a bittersweet metaphor.. x

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

ah. This. oh. o this ...

i am trying to do something very
vaguely similar, trying to keep
motion
will it stay?

Nina Marie said...

I love the texture of this! I thought you might to share it on my fiber artists blog link up Off the Wall Friday.